The Real Love Boat: Aussie man sparks debate by calling women ‘birds’

A male singleton on Channel 10 dating show The real love boat was scolded by one of the hosts for calling women “birds.”

Keanu Moore used the slang term, which was popular in the 90s but rarely used today, after being told he could choose from one of the female contestants.

“Can you have one, two, three birds?” he asked with a cheeky grin on his face.

A male singleton on Channel 10 dating show The Real Love Boat was scolded by one of the presenters for calling women ‘birds’. (Pictured: Keanu Moore)

Hostess Hannah Ferrier seemed unimpressed as several women shook their heads.

The term ‘bird’ peaked in popularity in Australia in the 1990s. While it can be offensive, many consider it a harmless equivalent of “dude” or “dude.”

First, we don’t call them ‘birds’. It’s 2022,” Hannah said.

Keanu Moore (left) used the slang term, which was popular in the 90s but rarely used today, after being told he could choose from one of the female contestants

‘Second, you may each choose a beautiful lady. So I’d like you to let me know which of these ladies you’d like to go on a date with.’

The Real Love Boat, based on the American format of the same name, was a flop for Channel 10 this year.

The network nudged The Bachelor to make way for the new series in the fourth quarter, but it dropped in ratings.

“Bird” is slang for a woman and was a popular term in the 1990s. While it can be used offensively, it is similar to masculine terms like “dude” or “fella”

The October premiere drew only 215,000 subway viewers.

Things got worse later that month as audiences in five cities dropped to just 141,000 viewers, according to industry website TV Blackbox.

After starting in the coveted 7:30pm Wednesday and Thursday timeslot, the show was pushed back an hour to 8:30pm.

“Can you have one, two, three birds?” he asked with a cheeky grin on his face

It has also been mocked by viewers, with many taking to social media to criticize the format and the contestants.

“Ten minutes later and I see an iceberg. Terrible,” someone tweeted.

‘Love boat? More like the Bogan Titanic,” another added.

A third joked, “More fake plastic people falling in love with themselves!” while another stunned critic asked himself, “Why am I watching this shit?”

Hostess Hannah Ferrier (pictured) seemed unimpressed as several women shook their heads. First, we don’t call them ‘birds’. It’s 2022,” she said